Legal Ethics

  • December 03, 2025

    Mass. Court Says Plea Deal Inattention May Be Ineffectiveness

    Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday concluded that a lawyer's failure to seek a plea bargain if asked to do so by a defendant may amount to ineffective assistance of counsel requiring a new trial under certain circumstances.

  • December 03, 2025

    NJ Seeks $195M Fee Award In $2.5B DuPont PFAS Case

    New Jersey asked a Garden State federal judge this week to approve $195 million in attorney fees to its special counsel team of four firms whose six years of litigation work resulted in two landmark settlements that serve to clean up some of the state's most contaminated sites.

  • December 03, 2025

    1st Circ. Doubts Ex-BigLaw Atty's Campaign Finance Appeal

    The First Circuit on Wednesday expressed misgivings about a former BigLaw attorney's argument that a jury that convicted him of a campaign finance scheme during a failed run for Congress should have been required to unanimously find that each specific transaction was illegal.

  • December 03, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Pushes DC Circ. Not To Rethink Newman Decision

    The Federal Circuit has urged the D.C. Circuit to ignore Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's request to rehear a decision upholding the dismissal of her suit against the colleagues who suspended her, saying the judiciary has the right to police its own internal matters.

  • December 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Skeptical Of NLRB Dinging Starbucks For Subpoenas

    A Fifth Circuit panel seemed skeptical of the National Labor Relations Board's claim that it can slap Starbucks Corp. with a labor law violation after it allegedly sent overbroad subpoenas to pro-union employees, saying Tuesday it seemed like the board created a "liability trap."

  • December 02, 2025

    Dentons Sees Ex-Partner's Appeal Nixed In California

    California's highest court has quietly tossed litigation filed by a former Dentons partner who was fired over a $34 million contingency fee due from a Chinese client following an arbitration matter, several months after advising the parties to prepare for oral arguments.

  • December 02, 2025

    Atty's 'Reptile Theory' Argument Sparks Assault Suit Retrial

    A California state appeals court has greenlit a new trial in a case where a jury awarded $1 million to a woman who was allegedly assaulted by a hotel owner during an eviction dispute, saying plaintiff's counsel improperly used the "reptile theory" trial technique to sway the jury.

  • December 02, 2025

    Ex-Amerant Bank Exec Claims Retaliation For Whistleblowing

    Amerant Bank has been hit with a suit in Florida state court accusing it of ousting a senior vice president for speaking out against alleged prohibited activity at the bank, including several violations the former executive says were carried out by the bank's trust department.

  • December 02, 2025

    Ex-Estate Trustee Dodges Jail In $16M Mismanagement Suit

    A Connecticut state court judge has declined to jail or otherwise sanction a former trustee in a discovery dispute over his use of $16 million in family trust assets to secure lines of credit and invest in Vietnamese real estate, but he wants document production issues resolved "as expeditiously as possible."

  • December 02, 2025

    Hagens Berman Referred To DOJ For Alleged Misconduct

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday recommended to the U.S. Department of Justice that it investigate powerhouse plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP's conduct in connection with several since-dropped product liability cases that a special master found to be filed in bad faith.

  • December 02, 2025

    Miss America Sanctions Bid Must Be Axed, Fla. Court Told

    The plaintiffs in a Florida federal court battle over the ownership of the Miss America pageant have pushed back against a sanctions bid against their attorneys, saying the court should reject it because it's "wholly meritless."

  • December 02, 2025

    Twitter Investors Lose Bid To DQ Musk Counsel Spiro

    A California federal judge has denied an attempt by Twitter investors to have Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Alex Spiro disqualified from serving as both lead counsel for Elon Musk and a witness in a trial over claims that Musk tried to tank Twitter's stock.

  • December 02, 2025

    Accusers Seek To Revive Katt Williams Suit Over Judicial Bias

    Four women whose suit against comedian Katt Williams was tossed by a Georgia federal judge on a finding that the claims related to a 2016 altercation outside a nightclub were time-barred, asked the court Tuesday to reconsider on the basis that the judge is hostile to their lawyer and did not render an impartial decision.

  • December 02, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects Rehearing In Ex-Defender's Harassment Case

    Former assistant public defender Caryn Devins Strickland lost her bid to have the full Fourth Circuit rehear her sexual harassment suit against the federal judiciary, as judges ruled they didn't overlook her pro bono legal team's withdrawal on the eve of her bench trial.

  • December 02, 2025

    DeCotiis Beats DQ Bid In NJ Turnpike Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey state appellate panel on Tuesday rejected a bid to disqualify DeCotiis Fitzpatrick Cole & Giblin LLP from representing the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and two employees in a discrimination case filed by a medical facility and doctors who performed work for authority members.

  • December 02, 2025

    Approach The Bench: Judge Robart On Living Under Threats

    It's been nearly nine years since U.S. District Judge James Robart blocked President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, and though the judge has had a long career — including groundbreaking patent and securities decisions — he still occasionally gets recognized as that "so-called judge."

  • December 01, 2025

    Ex-Immigration Judge Accuses DOJ Of Political Retaliation

    A former Ohio immigration judge sued the U.S. Department of Justice in D.C. federal court Monday, alleging she was discriminated against and unconstitutionally fired for her liberal political beliefs while slamming the Trump administration's recent "unprecedented assault" against longstanding civil service laws that protect millions of federal employees.

  • December 01, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Eyes $162K Fee Award To Vizio In Ramey Case

    The Federal Circuit on Monday scrutinized a judge's order that a patent owner represented by embattled firm Ramey LLP must pay Walmart Inc.-owned television maker Vizio Inc. nearly $162,000 in attorney fees, with judges debating if the award was justified based on the plaintiff's settlement offer.

  • December 01, 2025

    Suit Against Erika Girardi's Atty Tossed As 'Shotgun Pleading'

    A Florida federal court has dismissed a clothing company's abuse of process suit against an attorney of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne for being a shotgun pleading.

  • December 01, 2025

    NYC Sued Over Killer-Cop's Misconduct In False Convictions

    A Brooklyn man who was wrongfully incarcerated for one year after being railroaded by a crooked murderous cop has filed a proposed federal class action against the city of New York on behalf of himself and 134 other people whose convictions were overturned after the former officer's misconduct came to light.

  • December 01, 2025

    Judge-Shopping Sanctions Order Must Stand, 11th Circ. Told

    The Alabama federal judges who sanctioned a trio of civil rights attorneys for allegedly judge shopping are defending that outcome, telling the Eleventh Circuit the controversial process was above board and rejecting the "scheming" attorneys' claims that they simply wanted to ensure they received a randomly assigned judge.

  • December 01, 2025

    Mich. Law Firm's Misrepresentation Voids Policy, Insurer Says

    An insurer asked a Michigan federal court to rescind and void a law firm's professional liability policy, saying the firm failed to disclose a potential malpractice claim arising out of its representation of the owner of medical services companies in a racketeering lawsuit and related whistleblower action.

  • December 01, 2025

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In November

    A judge dismissed a flurry of proposed class actions alleging retailers flouted a Massachusetts law requiring that job applications include a notice of the state's ban on lie detectors, while a personal injury law firm couldn't escape a former associate's suit over its unilateral decision to eliminate commissions for cases he brought to the firm, among notable state court decisions in November.

  • December 01, 2025

    What MDL Judges Can Get Done With A New Civil Rule

    As the first federal procedure rule geared toward multidistrict litigation goes into effect, judges will have a new buffet of best practices to guide them, but little in the way of hand-tying mandates.

  • December 01, 2025

    Calif. Ban On Fee-Sharing With 'Alternative' Firms Challenged

    A new law barring California lawyers and firms from sharing fees with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers is unconstitutional and will harm the state's mass tort lawyers and their clients, according to a lawsuit filed last week.

Expert Analysis

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Key Ethical Issues For Gov't Attys Moving To Private Practice

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    Transitioning from government service to private practice presents complex ethical challenges for attorneys, including navigating conflicts of interest, confidential information rules and post-employment restrictions, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • The Implications Of 2024's AI Rules And Regs For Patent Attys

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    Christina Huang, John Smith and Devin Stein at Faegre Drinker review this year's new rules and regulations on the development and use of artificial intelligence — from the Biden administration, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the American Bar Association and various states — as they apply to patent attorneys.

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